Photographic-printing frame.



No. 792,645. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905. F. A. BROWNELL.

PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING FRAME.

APPLIOATION rum) JAN. 25, 1904.

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5%.? M1 W Haw 3] 3 may 0 R I MY H No. 792,645. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905. P. A. BROWNELL.

PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING FRAME.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 25. 1904.

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I nventor.

RA-. Attorney No. 792,645. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905. F. A. BROWNELL. PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING FRAME.

APPLICATION nun JAN. 25. 1904.

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Inventor- ZYM QM $55M Attorney UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OEEic FRANK A. BROW NELL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEXV YORK, A CORPORA- TION OF NElV YORK.

PHOTOGRAPHlC-PRINTING FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,645, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed January 25, 1904. Serial No. 190,528.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. Baown ELL, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Printing Frames; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this [0 specification, and to the reference characters marked thereon.

My present invention relates to photographic-printing frames; and it has for its object to provide an apparatus in which the negative may be mounted and the sensitized paper or other material secured, whereby an inspection of the printing operation may be had without destroying the relative position of the negative and the printing-paper, and also to provide an adjustable bed for the latter and means for moving it whereby the relative distance between the negative and the sensitized impression-sm-face of the paper may be varied to enable sharp and undesirable features in a negative to be blended or softened and also to permit the production of mezzotint effects.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more 0 fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a printing-frame constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the parts in an open position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. at is a bottom plan view. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken through the bed and illustrating the operation of the clamps. Fig. 7 is a crosssectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. at, and Fig. 8 is a similar view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 4. Fig.

9 is a perspective view of the negative-clamping bar. Fig. 10 is a view of one of the paperclamps.

A plate-holder constructed in accordance with my invention embodies a rectangular bedframe composed of the rear and front side 5 0 pieces 1 and 2 and the ends 3. A similar frame, forming the negative-holder and constructed of front and rear side pieces 4 and 5 and the end pieces 6 and 7, is connected to the rear side of the bed-frame by hinges 8. This frame is adapted to contain the plate or negative, (indicated in the various views by A,) and it is provided at its inner side with an inwardlyextending shoulder or flange 9, against which the plate or negative rests, the latter being held from disengagement at one end by means of a shoulder 10, formed by the edge of the plate 11, attached to the end portion 8, and at its opposite end by means of a clam ping-bar 16. This bar 16 (illustrated in Fig. 9) lies in a recess 5 formed in the end pieceT of the top frame, and it is adjusted into engagement with the negative by means of a set-screw 17. The box is secured in position in the recess by its ends,

which are engaged in apertures formed in the 7 side portions 5 and 6. At the center of the bar is the outwardly-curved portion 19, with which the screw 17 cooperates, and adjacent thereto the arms are bent or twisted so that their outer edges 20 extend slightly in advance of their inner ends and are adapted to engage the outer corner of one end of the plate to move the latter into engagement with the flange or rim 9 when the plate is moved longitudinally into engagement with the shoulder 10. It will be noticed that the flanges 9 are arranged on the lower side of the negative-holder and that the latter is provided at or near its upper edges with grooves or channels 25, in which is removably secured a screen 26, preferably formed of 8 5 translucent material, such as ground glass, which may be placed in position above the negative A to reduce the actinic qualities or properties of the rays of light passing through the negative. By using this screen the print- 9 ing-frame may be employed for printing by a bright light from thin negatives, such as have been improperly exposed or developed, so that the lighter and darker portions of the printed picture may be blended without forming an undesirable contrast between them.

In order to permit the screen 26 to be easily inserted and removed, the top of the end piece 7 of the negative-holder is formed beneath the grooves or channels 20 and in its upper edge is provided a damper or light-excluding valve 27, adapted to engage the lower side of the screen, the removal of the latter being normally prevented by a retaining member having the end 28, which may be revolved into and out of alinement therewith. as will be understood. In place of the screen a slide or closure, such as is usually employed in plateholders, may be used, which will effectively exclude rays of light from entering the printing-frame, which is a desirable feature in a device of this character, as it enables the operator when employing a rapid-printing paper to place the latter, together with the negative, in the frame in the dark room and then to expose the negative at such a time and place as he may desire. Further, the screen employed may be such as those commonly employed for vignetting, which may easily be inserted in the grooves 25.

Arranged within the bed-frame is the printing-bed 30, having the upper padded surface 3], and the beveled ends 32, having the small tongues 33, with whichare adapted to cooperate clamping-bars 34, provided at their lower sides with offsets or recesses 35, which cooperate with the tongues 33 to securely clamp the end of the sheet of photographic-printing paper to the bed. The bars 34 are supported at their ends by pivoted operating-arms 36, journaled to the sides of the bed 30 and provided with the down wardly-extendingends 37, on which are lips or finger-pieces 38. To secure the clamping-pieces in their normal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the operatingarms are provided with apertures or recesses 40, adapted to register with small buttonheaded projections or pins 41. The bed 30 is adapted to be moved in its supporting-frame relatively to the negative-holder, and at the ends of the frame are provided guiding-pins 45, extending through the apcrtured ears 46 of brackets 47, secured to the lower side of the bed-an arrangement of the parts which prevents both lateral and longitudinal movement of the bed. Also secured to the bed and near the ends thereof are leaf-springs 48, the ends of which are supported in suitable recesses 49, as shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 8, said springs operating to move the bed upwardly in its frame and to hold it in contact with a negative secured in the holder. The devices for adjusting the bed against the tension of the springs to move it relatively away from the negative in the holder for the purpose of enabling sharp and undesirable lines in a negative to be blended or softened in the print and to produce a mezzotint effect consists of two shafts 50, journaled in the side pieces 1 and 2 of the bed-frame and located, preferably, at or near the ends thereof. Eccentric connections are formed between the shafts and the bed by providing the former with the short curved arms 55 and by arranging on the latter brackets 56. having overhanging ends 57, with which said arms are adapted to engage. In order to rotate the shafts, they are provided at their outer ends with operating-arms 58, provided with pins or projections 59, adapted to cooperate with apertures or recesses 60, formed in segmental plates 61. These plates are formed of spring metal and are attached to the forward side of the bed-frame, and, extending above it, they also form latch members for holding the bed-frame and negative-holder locked together, said plates being provided with apertures 62, with which engage pins or projections 63 on. the negative-holder,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I have also shown a suitable means for disengaging these members, consisting of releasing devices in the form of levers 64, pivoted to the ends of the negativeholder and provided with the angularly-bent ends 65, which normally lie parallel with the face of the side piece 6 and beneath the ends of the plates 61 when the printing-frame is closed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As the printing-frame is usually supported in a horizontal position when it is to be opened, the

hinges 8 being at the rear side and thelatchplates at the forward side, the forward edge of the negative-holder revolves upwardly and away from the operator, and it is to facilitate the readydisengagement of the latch-plates that the releasing-arms are arranged, as shown,

so that as the operator engages the fingerpieces 66 and raises therear ends of the levers 64 ,they will be moved upwardly in the di rection of the opening movement of the negative-holder, thereby requiring but one operation to release the latches and open the printing-frame.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame and a negativeholder frame hinged thereto, of a latch for locking the frames together and a releasinglever mounted on one of the frames independent of the latch and cooperating therewith.

2. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame and a negativeholder hinged thereto, of a spring-operated latch mounted on one of the parts and a device separate from the latch arranged on the other part and cooperating therewith to release it.

3. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination with a bed-frame and a negativeholder pivoted thereto, of a spring-latch attached to the bed-frame and engaging the negative-holder, and a device arranged on the latter and having the end cooperating with the latch to release it.

1. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame, a negativeholder hinged thereto and provided with a projection, of a spring-plate attached to the bed-frame having an end adapted to engage the projection on the negative-holder and a lever pivoted on the latter having an end cooperating with the end of the latch to release it from engagement with the projection.

5. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame, a negativeholder havinga projection thereon and hinge connections between the rear sides of the frame and holder, of a spring-plate arranged on the forward side of the bed-frame having an end adapted to engage the projection on the holder, a lever pivoted to the latter and an end thereon cooperating with the plate to disengage it from the projection.

6. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame, a negativeholdcr hinged at the rear side thereof, and projections on the holder, of spring-latches on the forward side of the bed-frame adapted to engage the projections, IGVGIWLIIHS pivoted to the ends of the holder and ends on said levers engaging beneath the latches to release them from the projections.

7. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed and anegative-holder thereon opening upwardly relatively thereto, of means for locking the bed and holder together and a device operating to release them when actuated in the direction of the opening movement of said holder.

8. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination with a frame, a bed supported therein and arms journaled on the sides of the bed having operating ends extending beneath the latter and clamping-bars supported between the arms and adapted to cooperate with the ends of the bed, of a negative-holder adapted to be secured over the bed.

9. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame, a negative holder adapted to cooperate therewith and a bed supported on the frame, of clamping devices on the bed comprising clarmuing-bars adapted to engage the ends of the latter and arms carrying the bars pivoted to the sides of the bed and having the operating ends extending beneath the latter.

10. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed-frame, a negativeholder adapted to cooperate therewith, and a bed supported on the frame, having the ends provided with tongues, of clamping-bars having longitudinally-extending recesses adapted to fit over said tongues and arms carrying the bars and pivoted to the bed.

11. In a photogra iihic-printing frame the combination with a bed, a negative-holder cooperating therewith, means for securing a negative thereinindependent of the bed and a removable screen arranged above a negative, placed in the holder.

12. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a bed, of a holder, supports arranged at its inner side in proximity to the bed for securing a negative thereto independently of the bed and provided with ways at its outer side and a' screen removably secured in said ways.

13. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination with a bed and an open frame having flanges extending inwardly over the bed and means for securing a negative in engagement with said flanges independent of said bed, of Ways provided in the frame above the flanges and a screen supported therein.

14. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination with a bed and an open frame cooperating therewith provided at one end with a slot adapted to support one end of a negative and. having at the opposite end a recess and an overhanging flange, of a clamping-bar located in the recess and provided with a beveled surface adapted to engage the end of a negative to move it inwardly and an adjusting device for operating the bar.

15. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a negative-holder, a frame attached thereto and a bed, of shafts extending beneath the latter, eccentric connections between said shafts and the bed and means for operating and securing the shafts in adjusted position.

16. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a negative-holder, a frame attached thereto and a bed, of shafts extending beneath the latter, eccentric connections between said shafts and the bed and arms attached to the shafts at the exterior of the frame, plates provided with recesses and projectionson the arms cooperating with said recesses to hold the shafts in adjusted position.

17. In a photographic-printing frame the combination with a frame, a negative-holder hinged thereto and provided with projections, and latch-plates on the frame provided with recesses and adapted. to engage the projections on the holder, of a bed arranged in the frame, shafts journaled in the latter, eccentric connections between them and the bed and arms attached to the shafts and provided with projections adapted to engage the recesses in the latch-plates to secure the shafts in adjusted position.

18. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination with a negative-holder, a frame having guiding-pins thereon and a bed located in the frame and having ears engaging said pins, of shafts arranged beneath the bed having eccentrics thereon, brackets mounted on the bed and engaging the latterand means for rotating the shafts.

19. In a photographic-printing frame the bed and provided with overhanging ends encomblnatlon with a negative-holder and a gaglng sa1d eccentrlcs and arms for revolvlng frame havlng recessed slde pleces, a bed arthe shafts.

ranged in the frame and leaf-springs attached FRANK A. BROWNELL. 5 to the bed and having their ends engaged in ,Witnesses:

said recesses, of shafts journaled in frame, ec- RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH,

centrics on the shaft, brackets attached to the G. WILLARD RICH. 

